Implementation Team

The implementation of project management within an organization requires strong executive support and an implementation team that is dedicated to making project management work. Selecting the wrong team players can either lengthen the implementation process or reduce employee morale. Some employees may play destructive roles on a project team. These roles, which undermine project management implementation, are shown in Figure 4-14 and described below:

• The aggressor

• Criticizes everybody and everything on project management

• Deflates the status and ego of other team members

• Always acts aggressively

• The dominator

• Always tries to take over

• Professes to know everything about project management

• Tries to manipulate people

• Will challenge those in charge for leadership role

• The devil's advocate

• Finds fault in all areas of project management

• Refuses to support project management unless threatened

• Acts more of a devil than an advocate

FIGURE 4-14. Roles people play that undermine project management implementation.

• The topic jumper

• Must be the first one with a new idea/approach to project management

These types of people should not be assigned to project management implementation teams. The types of people who should be assigned to implementation teams are shown in Figure 4-15 and described below. Their roles are indicated by their words:

FIGURE 4-15. Roles people play that support project management implementation.

• The initiators

• "Is there a chance that this might work?"

• The information seekers

• "Have we tried anything like this before?"

• "Do we know other companies where this has worked?"

• "Can we get this information?"

• The information givers

• "Benchmarking studies indicate that . . ."

• The encouragers

• "The idea is workable, but we may have to make small changes."

• "What you said will really help us."

• The clarifiers

• "Let me state in my own words what I'm hearing from the team."

• "Let's see if we can put this into perspective."

• The harmonizers

• "Your ideas and mine are close together."

• The consensus takers

• "Let's see if the team is in agreement."

• "Let's see how the rest of the group feels about this." • The gate keepers

• "Who has not given us their opinions on this yet?"

• "Should we keep our options open?"

• "Are we prepared to make a decision or recommendation, or is there additional information to be reviewed?"

What you need to know about… Project Management Made Easy! Project management consists of more than just a large building project and can encompass small projects as well. No matter what the size of your project, you need to have some sort of project management. How you manage your project has everything to do with its outcome.